Filling detector for looms



Oct. 29; 1935..

w. H. BAHAN ET AL I FILLING DETECTOR FOR LOOMS Filed Sept. 9, 1935 w N A r w H N 4 a w Hw Tm R L E m W R Patented Oct. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FILLING DETECTOR FOR LOOMS William H. Bahan, Greenville, and Frederick Gordon Cobb, Lancaster, S. 0.

This invention relates to improved means for automatically stopping a loom when the filling becomes exhausted or broken and also for automatically replenishing the filling supply in the shuttle upon exhaustion or breaking of the filling when it is used on a battery or magazine loom. In some types of looms there are no means for automatically replenishing the filling supply when it becomes exhausted, but stop motions are used to detect this failure of the filling and stop the loom and an operator replenishes the filling supply or ties the broken ends and again starts the loom. In other types of loom such as battery looms, magazine looms, and the like, the filling detector means, upon the exhaustion of the filling supply in the shuttle or upon breakage of the filling, causes the filling detector to automatically operate the filling replenishing means to place a new supply of filling in the shuttle. The improved means as shown in the accompanying drawing, is adapted to work on both types of looms, to stop the one having no magazine or battery, and on-the other type having a magazine or battery, the apparatus is connected to the filling replenishing means to automatically replenish the filling instead of stopping the loom, as in the case of a plain loom having no battery.

In the herein set forth invention, a very delicate filling feeler finger is employed which controls the other parts which engage the weft hammer or snake head and therefore the filling feeler finger, not having to withstand the force exerted by the snake head or weft hammer to stop the loom or operate the replenishing mechanism, can be of very light structure, and therefore, requires no grate or filling fork to cause the same to be operated by the filling. It is thus seen that the filling grate can be dispensed with and also the filling fork, and there can be employed instead thereof, a very light weight filling feeler finger.

In the co-pending application of one of the applicants herein, namely, Frederick Gordon Cobb, Serial Number 674,900 filed June 8, 1933, there is shown a mechanism similar to the one herein disclosed. The herein disclosed mechanism eliminates all possibilities of breaking or straining the filling feeler finger for the reason that on the present invention the filling feeler finger is entirely released from the dog which is pivotally mounted on the snake head or weft hammer, and therefore, there is no possibility of v the filling feeler finger becoming damaged due to any strain being placed thereon in stopping the looms or in replenishing the weft supply upon exhaustion thereof.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection 6 with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of our invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to Figure 1 but having the nearest side of the filling slide broken away;

Figure 3 is a plan View of the filling slide with the snake head and other parts omitted;

Figure 4 is an exploded isometric view of the improved pivoted dog and a means for mountingit on the snake head; 5

Figure 5 is an assembled plan view of our invention showing a portion of a loom.

This invention is an improvement over the co-pending application of Frederick Gordon Cobb, above noted, and many conventional parts shown in the co-pending application are eliminated from the drawing.

The conventional slide guide 4| is provided as set forth in said co-pending application and in this slide guide is slidably mounted slide Ill and having the portions II and I2 which project backwardly where they are connected to either the stop motion or the filling replenishing mechanism of the loom, as at 42. This filling slide in has a guideway l3 therein which has a slot I4 therein, through which lint and other foreign particles may pass, instead of blocking the guideway I3 and preventing operation of the mechanism. Spanning the distance between these sidewall portions II and I2 is a pin Ma. The end of the sidewall portions II and i2 are joined by an integral member l5.

Also spanning the distance between the sidewalls II and I2 and near the portion I5 is a pin l6 mountedin holes I! and I8 and in the sidewalls II and I2 on which is pivotally mounted a filling feeler finger I9 having a loop [5a which is adapted to beheld in raised position by means of the filling 20 when present in the weaving operation when the filling is moved against the filling feeler finger by the beating up motion of the reed 43 in the lay 40 of the loom. Snake head or weft hammer 22 has an oscillatory motion, this being a conventional part of the loom, and an L- shaped member 23 having a hole 24 therein which is penetrated by a pin 25, is mounted in weft 'hamber 22. Pin 25 loosely penetrates hole 24 so :as to pivotally mount member 23 on pin 25.

Member 23 has a horizontal portion 26 which'reciprocates back and forth in guideway l3 in the 2. filling slide and normally the filling slide remains inoperative except upon failure of the filling, as will be hereinafter described. The horizontal portion 26 has a slot .21 therein penetrated by a pin 28 passing through holes 29 and 30. This pin 28 also penetrates hole 3| in dog 32 for pivotally mounting dog 32. Dog 32 has a weighted end 33 adapted to hold the parts in position shown in Figure 1. The dog 32 also has a notch 35 therein on the upper edge thereof and a hooked portion 36 on the lower edge thereof, and the end of the'dog has sloping portions 31 and 38.

It will be noticed that the dog 32 is thicker than the slot l4 so as to prevent manual raising of weighted portion 33 and allowing, the other end ofthe dog to penetrate. slot M so as to cause the upper edge 31 of the dog32 from being thrust against the pin to. It seen. that. it the weighted portion 33 is raised and the snake head.

reciprocated that the sloping portion 38 causes the dog to slide over the pin. Mo and the slot l4 being narrow, it cannot go beneath pin, Ho. The sloping portion 31 is provided so as to prevent injury to. the. filling, feeler finger l9.

The; filling feeler finger has a looped portion I911; adapted to fall. over and on opposite sides of the smaller end of dog 32 and toengage the shoulder 35 when there is a failure of filling as the upper portion, of, I9 is heavier than the lower portion. The feeling end of the filling feeler finger I9 is. roughened such as by being corrugated or roughenedby any desired manner so as to cause the yarn 20, to irictionally engage the same without sliding thereon. Although this is shown in the drawing asbeing sinuous, it could be a. straight filling feeler finger with corrugations or rougheningsthereon.

It is seen that in normal weaving. that ii there is. a filling thread present, that. the. beating up of the lay of the loom. will, push, the thread to. the position shown in Figure 1. and raise the looped 7 portion 19a of the filling ieeler finger. to a point where it will not-engagethe shoulder 35. as shown in Figure l but when the filling is not present the filling 'ie'eler finger, on. account of gravity, will assume the position as shown in Figure2 and engage the shoulder 35 against the loop, will not only raise. the dog. 32 to the position. shown, but will cause. a loop [9a. to be expelled completely from the shoulder 35 simultaneously or immediately after the. engagement of the hook 36 with the pin Ma. which will cause. movement. of the filling slide to. stop the. loom or replenish the'filling therein without placing. the strain of this operation upon the. filling ieeler finger I9 as. it will have been completely released from dog. 32 before any appreciable pressure is applied thereto because the pin Mo will receive all of the force which is exerted in the stopping of the loom or the operation of the filling replenishing mechanism.

We claim:

l Filling controlled means ior controlling a loom comprising a filling ieeler finger pivoted intermediate its ends and having one end heavier than the other end, the lighter end being adapted to engage the filling upon reciprocation of the lay of the loom to raise" the heavier end, a filling slide, a weft hammer, a pivoted member mounted on the weft hammer, said pivoted member having a shoulder engageable by the heavier end of. the

finger in the absence of the filling in the shed of the loom, said pivoted member also having a hook for engaging the filling slide when the pivoted member isengaged by the said finger; and means .oted. member when en a ed; b

' the finger in the absence of filling, a hook on said pivoted member for engaging the slide when the pivoted member is moved by said finger engaging said. shoulder, the finger being moved out of the V path of the said shoulder by filling and in the 15 absence of filling engaging said shoulder, to move the pivoted member upon reciprocation of the said member, and means operable by the movement 01 the slide for operating said mechanism.

3. Means for detecting an absence of filling in 20 ailoom: during. the weaving. operation which comprises a filling detecting finger operable by a filling supported solely by the warp and the shuttle,

a filling slide, a reciprocating weit hammer or snakehead, means carried by the snake head or. 25 welt hammer for engaging, the filing detector finger in. the absence of filling in. the warp and automatically disengaging the filling detector finger from the means carried by the snake head or weft hammer, means on. the gageable by the weft. hammer or snake head after the filling, detector has. been disengaged irom the weft. hammer or snake head for moving the filling slide and means operable by the fillinaslide for controlling operation of the loom.

it In a filling detector for looms, a slide guide. a slide mounted. in said. slide guide, a member mounted for reoiprocatory movement in said slide, a second member pivotally mounted in. the first, member, a. filling detector finger mounted in said. slide andheld, by the presence or a filling out oi contact with said pivoted, member, means on the. pivoted member for engaging the filling detector finger inthe absence-oi filling, and means on. the. pivoted member ior engaging the slide .1 after the pivoted member engages the filling detector finger to move the slide.

5. In a filling detector for looms, a. filling feeler finger; a. reciprocating member, a pivoted member: mounted on, the reciprocating member and b;

engageable by the, filling, Ieeler finger upon fail- .ure. of filling and, means, engageable by the pivthe filling feelerfinger for controlling. the. m.

6.. Control mechanism for looms. comprising a 3 filling ieelerfinger, apivotedmember, means on the; said finger ior engaging. the pivotedmember in the absence or filling in the loom, and means engageable by the pivoted. member when. engaged by said. finger. tor controlling the loom. 6 V

'1. Control mechanism. for looms comprising a reciprocating member, a pivoted member on said reciprocating, member, a, filling Ieeler finger normally held by the, presence 0t filling out of contact with. the pivoted member but being adapted to. fall. by gravity ontothe pivoted member in the absence oi filling to engage the pivoted member, 7

and means enga eable by the pivoted member when. engaged by said finger for controlling the loom. 7o 8. Control mechanism for looms operable. by the filling; comprising a slide guide, a slide, a

snake, head, a member. mounted on said snake head for reciprocatory movement on said slide, a. pivoted, member mounted on the member 15 filling slide en- 3a.:

mounted on the snake head, a filling feeler finger adapted to engage the pivoted member but being held out of engagement therewith by the presence of filling, means on the pivoted member for engaging the slide when the pivoted member is engaged by said finger, and means movable by the slide for controlling the loom.

9. In a loom having a stop motion, a filling feeler finger, a slide, a pivoted member, means on the pivoted member engageable by the finger in the absence of filling and other means on the pivoted member for engaging the slide when the pivoted member is engaged by the finger, and means movable by the slide for controlling the loom.

10. Means for automatically operating weft replenishing means, stop motions and the like for looms, comprising a filling slide and a filling detector mounted thereon, movable means operable by the filling detector for engaging the filling slide, a member slidably mounted in the filling slide in which said movable means is mounted, and means for imparting reciprocatory motion to the slidably mounted member.

11. In a loom, control means therefor, a sliding member for operating the control means, a weft hammer mounted for reciprocation with relation to said sliding member, a movable member mounted on the weft hammer and having means for engaging the sliding member but normally held out of engagement with the sliding member, a. filling feeler finger adapted, in the absence of filling, to engage said movable member to cause the movable member, upon movement of the weft hammer, to engage and move said sliding member.

12. Means for controlling the operation of a loom comprising a normally stationary slidable member, a constantly reciprocating member associted with said slidable member, a movable member mounted on the reciprocating member, a filling feeler finger mounted on the slidable member and having means thereon to engage the movable member in the absence of filling so the movement of the reciprocating member will cause the movable member to engage said slidable member and move the same, and means for controlling the loom operable by said slidable member.

13. A filling feeler finger for looms comprising a single prong for engaging the yarn, a loop on the other end of the finger, a filling slide, a weft hammer, a pivoted member on the weft hammer engageable by the said loop in the absence of filling for moving the pivoted member into engagement with the filling slide to move the same, the pivoted member carrying the load of moving the filling slide and relieving the said loop from the strain of moving the filling slide.

WILLIAM H. BAHAN. FREDERICK GORDON COBB. 

